Irish Business Association Honors 2010 Awardees

CLARK – The Irish Business Association (IBA) honored its 2010 winners at its second Annual Awards Dinner Tuesday, May 18, at the Gran Centurions in Clark. The 2010 award winners were:

Man of the Year – Denis Connell, Clark chief of police

Woman of the Year – Kate Conroy, vice president of the Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce

Business of the Year – Red Flannel Group

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Connell was named chief of police of the Clark Police Department in January 2008 after serving as provisional chief for six months. He joined the department as a police officer in June 1974; was promoted to sergeant in June 1982, lieutenant in July 1988 and captain in June 1991. Connell recently was named Public Safety Official of the Year for 2010 by the Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is an adjunct professor of education at Seton Hall University in South Orange.

Conroy has been with the Gateway Chamber for six years, starting with the organization as assistant to the president and being named vice president in 2006. The daughter of a small business owner, Conroy joined the Gateway Chamber to help businesses connect and grow. She also is an entrepreneur, having recently launched Quilts by Kate, an endeavor borne in a passion for quilting fostered by her grandmother. Conroy is a native of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Red Flannel Group is a full-service design and communications firm specializing in the development of branding, corporate identity, annual reports, packaging, corporate and product literature, publications, graphic design and advertising services. The company was founded in 1985 by Bob Flanagan and Jim Redzinak, who have a combined 70 years of experience in the creative field. Red Flannel is located in Freehold.

“In this year’s award winners, the Irish Business Association selected a highly respected public servant, a stalwart of the Union County business community and a firm that serves growing businesses throughout the state,” said Al Nunan, president of the IBA and senior vice president of business banking at Capital One Bank. “As a business association, we greatly value those members of the community who allow facilitate growth, interaction and progress.”

Denis Connell (second from left), Clark chief of police, receives the award for Irish Business Association (IBA) 2010 Man of the Year from (left to right): James Coyle, president of the Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce; Al Nunan, president of the IBA; and Pat Sheridan, past-president of the IBA.

Kate Conroy, vice president of the Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce, received the award as the Irish Business Association 2010 Woman of the Year.

Bob Flanagan, co-principal of design and communications firm Red Flannel Group of Freehold, receives the award for the Irish Business Association 2010 Business of the Year.